Let Me Count the Ways
by azarathangel
Summary: Valentine’s Day is around the corner, and little gifts keep popping up before Brennan’s eyes. [BB] A cowritten fic between myself and Rockerbaby423
1. Roses Are Red

**Story: Let Me Count the Ways**

**Disclaimer: WE OWN NOTHING!!! Basic idea is courtesy of Rockerbaby423**

**Spoilers: none**

**Pairing: BoothxBrennan of course…**

**Chapters: currently 6, number subject to change **

**Summary: Valentine's Day is around the corner, and little gifts keep popping up before Brennan's eyes.**

**Chapter 1: Roses Are Red**

**Note from azarathangel: This is my first fiction to write with someone! So it should be interesting! Much thanks to Lauren (aka Rockerbaby) for the invitation to this co-written fic!**

**Note from Rockerbaby423: And much thanks to Ash (****aka****azarathangel****) for agreeing to this little experiment, it wi****ll**** be a fun ride. That being said, enjoy!**

**Another general note: This chapter was written by me, azarathangel, with all editing and many wonderful additions by rockerbaby. I wish we could point out who did what, but i just hope it all blends well and you love it!! AND REVIEW IT!!**

**Rating: K+**

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_This is going to be a bad day…_ Brennan thought as she rushed into the lab, her heavy coat askew and possessions precariously balanced in her arms. Her nose was red with the cold and her hair was windswept. The big clock told her it was only three past nine, but for an early riser she was hours late. Brennan had awakened that morning to find her clock flashing an angry eight o'clock: any other day she would have already been at the lab.

"Sweetie, you're late!" Angela fell in beside her. "Well, not really, but late for you. What was it? Did someone spend the night?" Brennan groaned; she should have known Angela would jump to conclusions like that.

"No, Ange, I was here late last night working on a set of remains from San Salvador and then I had a bunch of paperwork to It should have been done three days ago but my case with Booth put that on hold and after I finished that I had to—""Whoa, Bren, hold up. I was just kidding," Angela raised her eyebrows. "I'm not even going to ask you how late you were up last night. If it was enough to make you late and snippy like this…" Angela trailed off.

"I'm sorry, I'm just tired and the alarm didn't go off." Brennan sighed, and if her hands hadn't been so full, she would have run a hand down the side of her face to smooth back the errant strands of messy auburn hair back. Angela took in the deep purple bags below her friend's bleary blue eyes and backed off.

"It's alright," Angela said with a half smile. "I'll drop by your office later."

Brennan—exhausted, pissed off, and now worried about whatever it was that Angela wanted to say later on—was now confident in the fact that this was going to be a bad day, indeed. Finally, she escaped to her office and dropped the armload of folders on her desk. Laptop safely placed on top of the stack, she sank onto her couch, eyes closed and finally feeling somewhat more relaxed in the familiar office. She sighed and opened her lead-infused eyelids.

That's when she noticed the cup on the mahogany coffee table, steam curling up and dissipating into the cool air of the office. She reached for it and smiled as she studied the contents: hot chocolate. Too tired to care where it came from, she wrapped her hands around the ceramic cup and took a taste of the decadent drink, feeling the warmth from the plain white mug drive away the cold in her fingers. Looking back at the coffee table, Brennan noticed something in her latest novel: she always kept copies of her books on the table. Picking up the hard-backed book, she opened it and removed the fragrant red rose that rested between its pages.

A small laugh escaped her lips as she read the passage the flower marked. It was a scene between Special Agent Andy Lister and her own character: one that always made her laugh, a charming little moment that her readers loved to find within the pages of her books. And although she would never admit it, Brennan loved to write them, too.

Temperance sipped her warm drink as she twirled the red rose in her nimble fingers, wary of the thorns guarding its beauty. She studied the rose, wondering where it came from. There was no card, and as she set it down on the table to look for a possibly fallen piece of paper, she noticed red lettering on the opposite side of the steaming cup.

The ornate script spread across the side of the mug, its message subtle yet sweet. The flowery red writing read, "_Love is a rose, and you its only seed._"

She smiled a bit as she read the sappy words, touched by their message and now more than a little bothered at the gifts' mysterious appearance in her office. She picked the rose up again, and the wishful thought of Booth dropping by earlier to place the rose between the pages of her book and set the ceramic mug down brought the smile to her lips once more, and though nobody was there, she hid it with another drink from her cup of hot chocolate. The warm drink, sweet rose, and lull of sleep were getting to her…

"Well, well, Sweetie, what do we have here?" Angela was standing at the doorway and Brennan opened one eye to study her interrupting friend. Angela quickly stepped into the room and Brennan continued to twirl the rose in her fingers. Plopping down beside her on the couch, Angela's dark eyes quickly read over the message on the mug and took in the perfect red rose.

"Who's it from?" She asked nonchalantly. Brennan shrugged.

"I don't know." She responded. Angela knew enough about her to know Brennan was telling the truth, and she watched the rose spin around between her friend's pale fingers, both wondering who sent it.

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Later that day, Brennan found herself buried beneath a sizeable mound of paperwork she had yet to complete with various textbooks piled around her on the desk and another cup of hot chocolate resting at her elbow. Looking up, she saw Booth saunter into the room. Immediately she began analyzing him, looking for any clues that might indicate he had been the one to send her the rose and cup.

"Angela tells me you received a certain gift from a certain someone this morning." Brennan noticed his face was neutral, eyes revealing nothing. She nodded, though, and gestured towards the mug and flower on the coffee table.

"What she failed to tell me, though, was who it was from. So, Bones, who's the admirer?" Booth said as he sat down on the couch, inspecting the two gifts.

"I don't know." Brennan repeated for the second time that day, checking a box on the identification form in front of her. She heard Booth sigh and knew he was looking straight at her. She chose not to raise her head.

"Bones, you drank this without knowing who it was from?" She knew he was angry now, and she grimaced as she mentally crossed him off her very, very short list of suspects for the gifts. She noted, though, that removing his name caused a small wave of disappointment to wash through her. Shaking it off, Brennan finally looked at him.

"It didn't look, smell, or taste funny, so what's the big deal? It's just hot chocolate." With a glare, she dropped her eyes to the form once more.

"What's the big deal? What if some psycho left it here for you, Bones? What then?"

"The Jeffersonian has excellent security, Booth. Also, we are not involved in some high profile case involving a serial murderer who would want me dead at the moment." She paused, her statement bringing to mind another idea. "Why are you here?"

"What?"

"We don't have a case to work on now and you don't have a file to indicate one just came in." Brennan's forehead was creased in concentration, bringing a small smile to Booth's face. "And, if I remember correctly, didn't you mention taking the day off today?"

"Well, yes," Booth said.

"So why are you here?" Brennan finally got up and walked over to where Booth was now standing, arms crossed as she stood right in front of him.

"You mean I need a reason to come visit my _favorite_ forensic anthropologist?" The tension in the atmosphere quickly evaporating, leaving a much lighter one as Booth gave her one of his slow, easy smiles. She rolled her eyes in response to his charm, but Booth noticed how her lips twitched in an effort to fight down her own grin.

"Really, Booth, how many forensic anthropologists do you know?"

"Millions, but you're the only one I'm willing to drag away from work to take out to lunch on my day off." Now Brennan did smile.

"I have work to do." Her response was typical: one that Booth was always ready for. It signaled the beginning of an argument that had gradually been getting shorter and easier to win since the start of their partnership.

"It's not going anywhere, Bones."

"Yes, but it's your fault that I haven't been able to do it yet." Booth feigned innocence.

"My fault?" Brennan nodded, swallowing the laughter that threatened to erupt at his 'innocent' face. "Well, I wasn't stopping you from pulling one of your infamous all-nighters in an attempt to finish every piece of work that you have to do for the next week."

"Yes, actually, you were. I'm remembering a certain FBI agent insisting on taking me out to dinner practically every night and then _insisting_ that I go back home and the same agent making sure I slept for at least five hours every night." She smiled at him, Booth shrugging.

"Don't know the guy," he said, "but these skeletons aren't going to get up and walk away. They've been waiting for a thousand years and I doubt another hour or so will kill them."

"They're already dead, Booth." Brennan deadpanned.

"My point exactly." Brennan raised an eyebrow at him. "So, your argument is pointless and therefore you should come to the diner with me."

Brennan rolled her eyes, but she took her blue lab coat off and threw it over the back of her desk chair. Booth quickly diverted his eyes from her, a half-hearted attempt at ignoring the figure-hugging shirt she wore. He plucked her long brown coat from the hanger on the back of the door.

"Shall we?" He handed her the coat and Brennan allowed herself to be escorted out the door, and upon feeling Booth's hand find its spot at her lower back, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't turn out to be such a bad day, after all.

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Next chapter coming soon!! Review, pretty pretty please!! I, Ash, shall bake a huge batch of chocolate booths for all of you lovely reviewers!! (ava leigh, you better review… I made extra for you)

Again, hope you liked this first chapter, and reviews fuel our minds and make us want to write faster and update more for all the lovely reviewers!!! Cookies and other sugary concoctions to all readers, and special chocolate booths to the reviewers!!

-Ash and Lauren, aka azarathangel and Rockerbaby423


	2. Happiness Is Like a Kiss

**Story: Let Me Count the Ways**

**Disclaimer: WE OWN NOTHING!!! Basic idea is courtesy of Rockerbaby423**

**Spoilers: none**

**Pairing: BoothxBrennan of course…**

**Chapters: currently 6, number subject to change **

**Summary: Valentine's Day is around the corner, and little gifts keep popping up before Brennan's eyes.**

**Chapter 2: Happiness Is Like a Kiss**

**Note from azarathangel: Thanks to all the lovely reviewers!! The feedback was wonderful and Lauren and I are so appreciative of the amazing reviews you guys gave us!! I haven't done a multi-chapter fic in awhile, so those and my fellow writer should (hopefully) keep me on task!!**

**Note from Rockerbaby423: ****A big thank you to all the reviewers!! Your words were inspiring and we** **appreciate that you took the time to review! And to the anonymous reviewers; sorry we couldn't send a more personal reply**.

**Another general note: Again, his chapter was written by me, azarathangel, with all editing and many wonderful additions by rockerbaby. She wrote the general outline and I carefully constructed a chapter around it before letting her take care of all editing/adding wonderfulness to it!!**

**Rating: K+**

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"So what's the rush, again?" Booth followed the frenetic scientist at a safe distance as she flew into her office. Brennan threw her heavy coat across the already littered desk; papers fluttered to the ground and a cup of pens and pencils and highlighters clattered to the floor.

"Zach, Hodgins, experiment." Brennan summed it up in three words. Booth raised his eyebrows and his mouth formed an understanding "oh" before he followed Brennan out of the office again, her coat half on as she quickly snapped a dark green elastic around her wavy auburn hair.

The call had come on their way out of the drugstore down the street where Booth wanted to stop to pick up a card for Parker. Brennan had all but taken over the steering wheel and gas pedal from her seat on the passenger side of the car in her attempt to return to her lab as quickly as possible. Booth had managed to keep his laughter under wraps while she talked to Angela on the phone in a clipped tone, and even now he was still having trouble.

Brennan's brisk walk led him past the central lab platform to the row lab rooms. In one of them, he could vaguely make out a pair or dark shapes moving through the smoke. Brennan stopped as she put her hand on the metal handle and turned back towards him.

"Thanks again for lunch, Booth. Sorry I hurried you so much." She gave him an apologetic smile as she opened the glass door. Booth smiled back at her, his eyes dancing with laughter as the steam and smoke combination began to flow out of the room followed by a strong odor.

"Anytime, Bones. Now you go take care of your squints and don't breathe in too many chemicals. The last time you inhaled was not really an experience I am eager to repeat, alright?" Brennan rolled her eyes, but she did smile when she heard the concern laced in his tone. With one last wave, she disappeared into the wall of smoke, the sleeve of her coat over her mouth and nose. The wave of stench finally hit him, and Booth coughed slightly and wrinkled his nose. Sulfur… He didn't need to be a squint figure out that Zach and Hodgins were in big trouble. Booth quickly turned around and walked back across the bright, large room, laughing a bit as he thought of what Hodgins and Zach could have done to create a smell that strong with that much smoke…

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Two hours later, Brennan finally exited the foul-smelling room. When Cam wasn't around, Hodgins and Zach sure could be a handful… granted, they were a handful even with her around, but no Cam meant free experimenting, and free experimenting usually resulted in mixtures of sulfur, pure oxygen, highly flammable bug sprays, lab beetles, and an epic war between flame and fire extinguisher.

Brennan ripped the blackened gloves from her hands as well as the mask from her face and deposited both in the bio-waste bin by her lab platform. She had handled the fire and chemicals and would leave cleanup duty to the two stooges.

Regardless of the mountains of paperwork visible in her office that she had yet to sift through, her office was a welcome sight after, essentially, babysitting the boys in the lab. Brennan paused at her door, looking at her reflection in the glass. A black streak of ash covered her left cheek and white particle peppered her hair like flour. She chuckled at that thought, a certain memory of Booth trying to teach her how to make pancakes bringing a smile to her face.

Some of her hair had fallen out of the ponytail and the messy strands framed her dirty face. She smelled of smoke and sulfur, and all Brennan wanted to do right then was take a long, hot shower. Sighing wistfully, she stepped into the vacant office and picked the heavy winter coat off the desk with two fingers. Below it, something pink caught her eye.

Temperance quickly hung the coat up by the door and returned to her desk, stripping off the aromatic blue lab coat as she sat down. The splash of pink against the multiple manila folders and forms mocked her as it sat there, another anonymous gift. She studied the bundle of pink cellophane a moment longer before picking it up and bringing it closer to her. Inside, a cornucopia of red and white wrapped Hershey's kisses sat together. A red ribbon with white hearts on it tied the bundle together on top, and a small white card was attached to the ribbon.

"At least there's a card this time…" Brennan muttered to herself as she undid the ribbon and slid the card out of the tiny white envelope.

_Happiness is like a kiss… you must share it to enjoy it_.

Just like the first gift, the only clue was a silly love quote. Brennan laughed despite herself at the quote and pile of kisses on her cluttered desk. The only problem now was figuring out who sent them.

Could Angela have done it? She wasn't there to help control the outbreak of smoke and beetles; Angela had been smart and fled the scene as soon as Brennan arrived to take over. Sending her these festive gifts sounded like something Angela might like to do, just for fun… the artist was always trying to get Brennan into whatever holiday spirit she should be in at any given time. And if it wasn't Angela… Booth's name came to mind and Brennan tried to shake it off.

Figmentary Booth however, was being as stubborn as the real Booth and he refused to relinquish his hold on her thoughts. Brennan sighed for what seemed like the millionth time that day. She would have to eliminate or validate his name on her uncomfortably short list of suspects once and for all. Thinking back to their lunch time conversation, Brennan tried to remember if he had said anything that would make or break his name on the list.

_"Are you doing anything for Valentine's Day, Bones?" Booth asked her as he took a bite of his hamburger._

_"Have I _ever_ done anything for Valentine's Day? It's a commercial holiday designed to promote oneself in another's eyes through petty bribes like chocolate, cards, and teddy bears." Brennan scoffed, stealing one of Booth's French fries. He swatted at her hand half-heartedly._

_"Well, people can change their minds." He smiled at her. "Wouldn't you like to receive a cute little bear with a sweater that says 'I love you beary much' on it?" Brennan opened her mouth to argue that no, she wouldn't, but Booth's light laughter told her he was just joking with her and she swallowed the argument._

_"What are you doing for Valentine's, Booth?" she said instead, steering the conversation in a decidedly safer direction._

_"I get Parker for the night." Booth's eyes shone with excitement, bringing a light smile to Brennan's lips. "Rebecca has a dinner date, so we're going to eat at my place. That reminds me, I need to pick a card out for him... he loves those stupid little gag cards you find at drugstores."_

Brennan's memory reel was interrupted as Angela flounced into the room and plopped down on the couch, hand over her eyes.

"Is the smoking beetle fiasco over?" she asked in a dramatic tone, limbs sprawled across the couch. Brennan held in a laugh.

"For the moment, yes."

"Good. I just saw one of those damn things crawling out of the room and I'm making sure an army of them aren't going to come after me with their creepy little legs billowing that disgusting smoke like some sick kind of marionette… God I have no idea how the hell those two think of those experiments…" Angela groaned.

"They can only do what they want when Cam's not around, so they go all out." Brennan said, her voice carrying a far-away tone.

"I know but do they really have to use the United States' entire supply of sulfur? And where on earth do they come up with sulfur bug bombs made with nitric oxide?! And how about the smoking bubbles that burst into flame when they drop sulfuric acid on it? It smells awful and makes my head hurt… I'm already stressed and their antics just make it worse." Angela was working her way into a full-blown rant. "I even skipped lunch so Jack could show me this cool thing he was doing with Zach which, as you know, turned into the stinking scenario from hell and I'm hungry, I'm tired, and are you even listening?"

Angela uncovered her eyes and looked over to where Brennan was sitting, noticing the pink cellophane for the first time. Beyond the crinkly pink plastic, her best friend was studying a small white card.

"Chocolate?" Brennan held out the little silver and red-wrapped candies. Angela popped up off the couch and took a few, her annoyance at the boys' antics waning for the moment as the prospect of learning more about Brennan's secret admirer peaked her interest.

"Where'd they come from?" Angela questioned as she chewed on a piece of sweet heaven.

"Same place as the rose and cup, I suppose." Angela's chewing slowed a bit.

"Well, they're beautifully wrapped and taste delicious…" Angela mused, putting another piece in her mouth. Brennan nodded absently.

"Staring contest with the card?" Brennan looked up and handed it over. "Cute." The artist commented before returning it.

"You know, Jack gave me a Valentine's Day card that was kind of like that… it said 'Your kiss is on my list of the best things in life.'" Brennan laughed.

"Did it have a bear holding a list on it with a picture of a Hershey's kiss at spot number one?" the scientist asked. Angela nodded slowly.

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Booth and I dropped by the drugstore so he could pick out a card for Parker and they had that one there." Brennan trailed off. Angela raised her eyebrow as Brennan's eyes snapped back down to the tiny piece of cardstock in her hand.

"What?"

"I saw this card there, Angela! I knew I'd seen this quote before but I couldn't remember where." Brennan said excitedly. "Booth pointed it out and commented on the sappiness of it and I told him that every card there was just as silly."

"So, you think Booth gave these things to you?"

"I don't know. Neither of us seemed too taken with this card, although I do find it rather cute, foolish as it is…" They both sat in silence for a moment, Brennan pondering her latest discovery.

After Booth bought Parker a funny little pop-up card, he had mentioned forgetting something and he ran back into the store while Brennan waited outside. A minute later he exited with a small bag and Booth wouldn't tell her what it was, saying it was a secret. Brennan now wondered if it was the card… but there hadn't been any chocolate in the bag, of that she was sure. It just held something thin like a card.

"Well, I should get back to work so I can leave on time today." Angela stood. "I'll be taking some more of these to compensate for a lost lunch." Picking up another handful of the Hershey's chocolate, Angela made her way to the door.

"Thank your hunky FBI agent for me!" She called over her shoulder.

"It might not have been him!" Brennan protested, but Angela was already gone.

Booth came by again later that day to give her a file of forms to read and sign. After he left, she finished authenticating the set of remains from San Salvador and returned to her office. Brennan was packing up and switching her computer off when an envelope resting on her keyboard caught her eye.

The words "Dr. Bones" were scribbled across the front of the plain white envelope in green crayon. Brennan smiled; green was Parker's favorite color.

Carefully opening the envelope, Brennan removed a card with a picture of a grinning clownfish on the front. A blue fish was beside it, and Brennan opened the card to find the words, "Don't forget it's Valentine's Day!" printed in black bubble letters. Last time she had seen Parker, he had attempted to explain to her the dynamics of a forgetful fish named Dory searching for a little fish named Nemo… she could only assume this was the same thing.

A folded up piece of paper fell out of the envelope and Brenna picked it up and opened that. It was a note written in Booth's familiar script.

"Hey, Bones. Sorry I had to run back into the store, but Parker wanted me to get you a Valentine from him. That's why I couldn't tell you what it was. Hope the squint fiasco turned out alright! -Booth"

Brennan's smile quickly turned to a pensive frown. If Booth had gone back in to get this card, then where did the other come from? She had only seen one card through the semi-transparent white plastic of the store.

Who was the chocolate from?

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OOOOOH, the mystery, the drama, THE SUSPENSE!! Hehe leave a review! Because you were so lovely and wonderful in the lavish reviews for the first chapter, Lauren and I managed to get this one done in record time! Leave more reviews, and more chocolate Booths and chapters will come! Cheerio!

-Ash and Lauren


	3. Patience Is a Virtue

**Story: Let Me Count the Ways**

**Disclaimer: WE OWN NOTHING!!! Basic idea is courtesy of Rockerbaby423**

**Spoilers: none**

**Pairing: BoothxBrennan of course…**

**Chapters: currently 6, number subject to change **

**Summary: Valentine's Day is around the corner, and little gifts keep popping up before Brennan's eyes.**

**Chapter 3: Patience Is a Virtue**

**Note from azarathangel: WOW it's been awhile!! SO sorry guys! Thanks for your patience with us and stupid life, homework, etc., so I hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

**Note from Rockerbaby423: ****I'm really sorry it took so long to get this chapter up, but life got in the way! A big thank you to all the reviewers!! Your words were inspiring and we appreciated that you took the time to review!**

**Another general note: This chapter was begun by Rockerbaby and then taken up by azarathangel when life got in the way! Additions, corrections, edits done by both parties!**

**Azarathangel note, again..: Ash would like to give a special shout out to her super duper wonderful fanfiction mommy, AJeff!!! You're amazing!**

**Rating: K+**

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Temperance Brennan shivered slightly as she stepped out of the shower onto the cool tile floor of her bathroom. The cold seeped through her feet and she quickly switched from the cold tile to the warmer bath rug by her sink. Wrapping a plush towel around herself, she moved to the mirror and wiped away the condensation that had gathered.

'Much better,' was the phrase that came to mind as she stared intently at her reflection. The dark circles were still beneath her eyes, but all traces of death had been scrubbed away from her skin. No longer did she smell of the lab, of disinfectant, latex gloves, and decay, but now the sweet aroma of lavender encompassed her body. She was one of those people who looked forward to a hot shower at the end of each day; it washed away the stress and trouble that perpetually lingered over her work like a dark cloud that would never go away.

Today, though, had been much better than she'd first imagined that morning, and the lab, thankfully, was none the worse for the wear after the boys' experiment. But perhaps the most drastic improvement from the long workday was her appearance. She really did look—and for that matter, feel—much better after the long, hot shower had washed away the last of the nauseating sulfur from her pores and the ash that stained her cheeks and hair.

Brennan looked closer at the mirror, leaning in as she turned her head ever so slightly. Where a streak of ash had been earlier, there was now a faint line running the length of her cheekbone. Frowning, she grabbed a dry washcloth from where it hung on the towel bar beside her sink. Brennan switched the hot water on with a flip of her hand, and after soaking the washcloth in steaming water and pumping some antibacterial soap on it, she scrubbed the cloth across her face. Rinsing, she watched the very last of the day spiral down her sink. Now left with only a fading red mark across her cheek, Brennan gave her reflection a weary smile.

Yes, everything was much better.

But crawling into bed later that night turned her thoughts back to something else. She knew if she were to be really honest with herself, than that was not the case. Not _everything_ was much better; she was still no closer to figuring out who had left her the anonymous gifts, and the face that she couldn't figure out a seemingly simple puzzle bothered her more than a streak of ash ever could. Grumbling in her rediscovered annoyance, Brennan rolled onto her side and switched off the light. Trying to push all thoughts of Valentine's Day out of her head, Brennan finally drifted off into a deep sleep, her dreams invaded by a certain smiling FBI agent holding little bags of Hershey's chocolate behind his back.

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The next morning dawned cold and bright as Temperance crossed the parking structure of the Jeffersonian, coat drawn tight and a plan in mind. After waking up more than once, she had finally decided that she would be in her office earlier than usual that morning in order to finish off the precarious mountain of paperwork that still threatened to topple off her desk. If she happened to catch her secret admirer delivering another gift, it would simply be another added bonus to her day. Catching the culprit delivering the gift was the real reason she kept waking up, not paperwork, and the plan really was to catch the person, but she'd be damned to admit that little tidbit of information.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" Angela called out as she paraded through the door to Brennan's office. Looking up from the her desk as her friend flopped rather unceremoniously on the couch, Brennan noticed the two large coffees that Angela had deposited on the table next to a small parcel.

"Good morning to you, too." Brennan mumbled, cursing the holiday of commercial pink hearts under her breath.

"Oh, right, good morning, sweetie!" Angela laughed. Brennan sighed softly as she came around the desk to join Angela on the sofa, grateful for Angela's forethought. After Angela handed her the Styrofoam cup, she took a tentative sip of the cup of coffee to make sure it wasn't too hot before drinking deeply, cherishing every drop of the glorious caffeine. The rich smell washed over her in comforting waves, further relaxing her.

When she was sure Brennan had had enough caffeine to pacify her, Angela reched out, picked up the package, and handed it to the auburn-haired scientist. "Open it!"

Brennan's brows furrowed in confusion before doing what she was told. A small gasp escaped her lips when she removed the lid of the box. Inside was a gift certificated for a girls' day at Angela's favorite spa across town. She gave her friend a quick hug.

"Thank you, Ange, but you really didn't have to get me anything." She said.

"You can say thank you by coming with me for your day of beauty on Saturday instead of coming to the lab." Angela replied, smiling triumphantly. Deciding that it was simply easier to agree rather than try and argue and lose said argument, Brennan conceded before shooing Angela out of the office so that she could finish the paperwork for the San Salvadoran case in—hopefully—uninterrupted peace.

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It was just after noon when a knock at her office door startled the forensic anthropologist. It was Angela, of course, who as usual suggested in a way that left absolutely no room for debate that she join the team for lunch at Wong Fu's as a special Valentine's treat. Gathering the files she was working on into a neat, and considerably smaller pile than before, Brennan put on her coat and locked the office door.

When the squints all arrived at the restaurant, Booth was already at a table near the front, waiting. He stood up and allowed Brennan to slide in before sitting back down opposite Hodgins. As the group waited for Sid to bring them exactly what they needed, they talked about their plans for the evening. Angela and Hodgins were going to dinner, Booth had Parker, Brennan had a date with a WWII victim, and Zach was going out with an intern from another part of the museum.

"No way, Zach, you have an actual date?!" Hodgins laughed. Angela swatted at his arm with her hand, silencing him as her multiple wooden bracelets made contact.

"Now, Jack, that's no way to treat a colleague." Angela scolded before turning to Zach. "Alright, Zach, who is she, what part of the museum does she work at, what does she look like, how long have you been going, out are you excited!?!"

"Like that's any better…" Hodgins muttered. Zach blinked several times before beginning slowly.

"It's Cindy from research and I just asked her to go out with me yesterday…" Zach said.

"Oh Zach, congratulations! You have to tell me ALL about it tomorrow." Zach looked a little scared and was saved from having to answer Angela by Sid dropping a plate of chicken in front of him.

"No garlic." Sid winked before setting a bowl of soup down in front of Angela and moving on to Hodgins. Booth and Brennan had been watching the entire exchange with amused expressions, every now and then looking at each other and sharing a silent laugh like they always did. With the arrival of the food and abandonment of Zach's social life, however, Angela redirected the topic of conversation to Brennan's secret admirer, a line of questioning Brennan had hoped to avoid at all costs. Booth looked distinctly uncomfortable with this turn of events, but nobody seemed to notice; they were all too busy goading Brennan and making guesses as to the identity of the gift giver, and she was too busy deflecting their questions and guesses with anything she could think of.

"Can we just stop talking about this right now?" Booth spoke, earning him two questioning looks, one glare, and a soft thankful smile. The glare shifted into an evil grin.

"Someone's jealous…" Angela crowed, her eyes glittering. The thankful smile turned into a questioning look as Brennan's eyebrows rose slightly.

"No, but Bones doesn't know who it is so she obviously can't tell you who it is so all of your questions are pointless noise." Booth tried to make the sentence as good-natured as possible, not wanting to upset the friendly atmosphere. It worked, and their conversation gradually fell back into normalcy. Well, as normal as it could get for them.

"You'll never guess what my beetles did this morning!" Hodgins said. Angela groaned.

"This better not be another joke about fornicating macaroni…"

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Sid came to the table to clear their plates, all of them empty save one. Brennan found herself unable to finish her meal, remembering how she spent the morning picking on the remainder of the Hershey's kisses. Sid promised to wrap it up for her in a few takeout cartons and he left the table.

A few minutes later, the cheery owner came back out holding two carry-out style cartons. He handed them to Brennan and she opened them to check on the food that they carried. One held her Mein Lo noodles, but from the other, steam did not rise from the opened carton, nor did it smell of the delicious food she had eaten earlier. Bringing it closer, she pulled out a silver fortune cookie with a matching set of silver chopsticks. They rested on oriental style tissue paper.

The silver chopsticks had some characters inlaid in red running down the side, and a small slip of paper peeked out of the fold of the silver cookie. Brennan stared down at the silver fortune cookie in her hand, the chopsticks back in the box with the tips poking out of the carton. Booth leaned over to her.

"Wadda ya have there, Bones?" He asked before catching sight of the small cookie resting in her hand.

"Bren?" Angela's speculative voice brought a pair of brown and a pair of blue eyes up to meet hers. Brennan looked at her hand again before lifting the silver cookie up to where the others could see.

"A silver fortune cookie and a pair of silver chopsticks that say 'The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.' It's a Chinese proverb…" Brennan mused as she fingered the red Chinese characters on the thin piece of metal.

"You can read Chinese?" Booth asked in disbelief as he stared at her. Brennan gave him a quizzical look.

"It's in English on the other chopstick…" She picked it up and showed him. Hodgins laughed.

"Well, what's in the cookie?" Zach piped up.

"Oh yes, what's your fortune, sweetie?" Angela smiled as she watched Brennan turn the delicate silver cookie in her hand. Brennan grasped the edge of the white paper between her fingers and gently pulled the slip from the folds of silver.

"Love is patient." Brennan said, reading from the little piece of paper with the red type on it. All were silent for a second before Brennan noticed Sid retreating to the kitchen.

"Wait, Sid!" He turned. "Who sent this?" Brennan demanded, brandishing her silver chopsticks like a deadly weapon. In her hands, they were. Sid didn't even bother answering; he simply shrugged and disappeared into the kitchen.

Brennan sighed in frustration. Now she was even more confused as to who gave her the gifts. The chopsticks and Sid's involvement would almost certainly imply Booth, but he didn't seem happy that she received more gifts from her admirer. As she snuck a glance at him, Brennan almost smiled as she watched him glare at the cookie in her hand. It was as if he was willing it to spontaneously combust…

"I need to get back to work." Booth suddenly stood. Brennan was right behind him, voicing her own need to return to the office. Booth turned around to say something to her, but upon noticing the rest of the squints standing and watching them, he just gave her a quick smile, as charming as ever, and walked out the door.

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Whew, it's done!! This, I think, marks the halfway point of our story!! Any ideas about the gift giver?? CHOCOLATE BOOTHS TO ALL!! And squint-squad, kudos on finding that mold!!!

REVIEW!!!

-Ash and Lauren

Btw, fornicating macaroni joke is courtesy of Ash… hehehe


	4. Sunset In Your Eyes

**Story: Let Me Count the Ways**

**Disclaimer: WE OWN NOTHING!!! Basic idea is courtesy of Rockerbaby423**

**Spoilers: none**

**Pairing: BoothxBrennan of course…**

**Chapters: currently 6, number subject to change **

**Summary: Valentine's Day is around the corner, and little gifts keep popping up before Brennan's eyes.**

**Chapter 4: Sunset In Your Eyes**

**Note from azarathangel: I despise school… seriously, I hate it with the most zealous of ardent passion. With a passion equivalent to the force of ten thousand suns firing their hot rays down upon a barren dessert full of high schoolers desperately trying to drag themselves towards the oasis of weekends, but the heat is too much and now they are killing each other with school supplies in an attempt to thin the crowds and get to the weekend oasis faster.. but the bodies are only slowing them down…**

**So, I guess you can see that I REALLY hate school. This was the longest week ever, and it sucked, and I know I'm ranting but whatever. Thanks for being so patient with us! Spring break is coming up and the teachers are really piling it on for me!! Ugh… can't wait till break.**

**Note from Rockerbaby423: Unfortunately, I have been in the same homework filled boat. A week left until spring break now, but all my professors decided to pile on the work for the past two weeks in order to have as much as possible done before the break. So stressful! Anyway, the point is that I am SO SORRY we haven't updated the way I originally planned but we have had so much to do that our schedules haven't matched. Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews, and I hope that you will stick with this story!**

**Another general note: Here we have another azarathangel chapter with all corrections and beautiful additions done by Rockerbaby!!**

**Azarathangel note, again..: just in case you got lost in my rant, what I was really trying to say was school is making updates hard and I appreciate the patience and your reviews are amazing so keep em coming!!!**

**Rating: K+**

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Brennan all but collapsed into her chair, sighing as she leaned her head forward to rest on her desk. The day had really taken a toll on her, first at lunch when she was forced to endure ceaseless interrogations. Then, later at work, she had to try and do her job while being simultaneously subjected to Hodgins and Angela's perpetual flirting. . Not only was it distracting and incredibly grating on her nerves, but Brennan then had an entire internal battle over whether or not she was slightly jealous of Angela's newfound happiness. Even Zach had a date that night, but all Brennan had was a jumbled skeleton… no, she was not jealous. The flirting was just annoying and getting to her, that was all.

Now, though, Brennan was annoyed because she was really no closer to identifying her mystery valentine, she ate too much chocolate that morning and as a result, her stomach was hurting, then to top it all off she had a pounding headache courtesy of one Dr. Zach Addy. Zach felt like he needed her approval and consulting on everything from age confirmation to what type of fracture was on the mandible. Didn't Zach know that she wasn't in charge of him anymore? All of this, and it wasn't even five yet…

The door opened, but Brennan didn't raise her head from where it rested on her arms.

"If you're Angela, go away because I don't want to talk about whatever it is that you want to interrogate me about. I'm not in the mood. Zach, you're right. Hodgins, stop flirting with Angela and yes you can go race beetles with Zach now."

"And what if it's me?" His soft voice floated through the room; it was the only one that could bring her head up from her arms at that moment. He came closer, and Brennan felt the jackhammers behind her eyes slowly quiet.

"Booth," she sighed, "sorry about that." He shrugged.

"It's alright. That's how I was acting at my office…" he trailed off, studying her closely. She felt like he was staring into even the most hidden corners of her mind with those warm chocolate eyes, and it was a bit unnerving. She shifted slightly in her seat. "You feel okay?" His eyes turned from calculating to concerned.

"I'm fine," she said quickly before switching the subject. "Why are you here?"

"Just leaving a little something before I head home for the day." Booth pushed his sleeve back and studied the watch resting on his wrist. "It's nearly four and Parker's coming over at five." Brennan noted how his eyes seemed to light up every time he talked about his son. She couldn't help but smile a bit.

"What?" Booth noticed her smile.

"Nothing," Brennan replied. Booth raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything more on the topic.

"Well, here you go, Bones." He handed her the manila folder. "See you tomorrow." Booth gave her a smile and a little wave as he backed out of her office and Brennan smiled and waved back before looking back at what appeared to be a case file.

Opening the manila folder, Brennan saw the crime scene photos and police reports there, but along with them was a small white envelope. Before she could grab it, it fluttered lazily to the ground and slipped under her desk. That, she knew, was not part of the file. Looking down, she groaned at the thought of having to down after it.

Getting off her chair, she crawled under the desk to retrieve the runaway envelope. Just as her fingers touched it, she heard a knock on the door, Angela calling her name.

"Bren, you in here, Sweetie?" Brennan raised her head and promptly hit it on the underside of the desk.

"Ouch," she said simply. Brennan finally snatched the envelope and pulled herself back out from the dusty cave, leaning back against the desk as she sat on the floor. She would have to remember to get maintenance in there in the morning to clean…

Angela walked around to her and leaned on the wooden table cluttered with Brennan's various books, watching her friend with avid interest.

"Are you okay, why are you on the ground, and what's in your hand?" Angela, never one to beat around the bush, fired off her questions in rapid succession. Brennan paused for a second before responding.

"I'm fine, this fell, and it's obviously a small white envelope with my name on it in red pen." Brennan said. Angela rolled her eyes.

"Well, open it!" Angela told her. Brennan slid a finger beneath the envelope flap and broke the paper open, removing a red card. Cupid sat at the bottom corner of the envelope and was shooting an arrow through a heart that said "Happy Valentine's Day, Best Friend!"

"Is it another secret admirer card?" Angela questioned, craning her neck to see the cover. Brennan shifted her body so Angela couldn't see as she read the note on the inside. She groaned before throwing it up on the desk and putting a hand over her eyes. Angela was on it in a second and reading it. She laughed.

"Dearest, smartest Bones,

All the funny ones were gone by the time I got to the store, so you can blame that one on the squint squad and the long lunch. Because of that, you get this card instead. Like the lace on the cover? I thought you would… You know, Bones, I don't really understand why Cupid was chosen to represent Valentine's Day. When I think of romance, the last thing on my mind is a fat baby with wings flying at me while brandishing a lethal weapon. Shouldn't it be an old saint or something holding the bow? I'm sure you'll tell me all about the mythological background of Cupid and everything later, though, right? Anyways, hope you have a bearable Valentine's Day with minimal annoyances and frilly things. If I said happy Valentine's, I know you would come after me with my own gun, so I won't say that.

-Booth"

Angela finished reading the note aloud and laughed again. "Nice. So, maybe Booth _is_ your secret admirer…" Brennan glared at Angela, temper flaring.

"Well it can't be him now because otherwise he wouldn't have sent this." Brennan snatched the card back and finally got up off the floor, flopping back into the desk chair.

"Someone's testy..." Angela observed.

"I've been bothered about this whole secret admirer thing for the entire day and I have a headache and I can't even figure out who the hell sent the gifts and when I do I will kill them in the slowest, most painful way possible…" Brennan ranted.

"I think you're disappointed that you think it can't be Booth." Angela sat back smugly. Brennan looked at her, masking the embarrassment she felt with Angela's statement with disbelief. She opened her mouth to retort.

"Dr. Brennan?" Zach appeared at her doorway, saving Angela from a nasty backlash. Brennan turned her attention to where the nervous scientist shuffled his feet in her doorway.

"Yes, Zach?" She said wearily.

"I know I've already asked you about these remains, but—"

"Zach, whatever you think about the skeleton is probably the correct answer." Brennan said.

"But that's just it, Dr. Brennan," Zach told her. "I don't know what it is." His answer surprised Brennan, and she hauled herself to her feet and put the blue lab coat back on over her shoulders.

"Well, let's go see what it is." Angela waved at her best friend as Brennan followed Zach out the door to the platform.

Angela picked the card back up again and laughed, putting it on the desk after she had finished reading it again before leaving the office to go find her favorite bug and slime guy.

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After a considerable amount of time on the platform with Zach, for it was nearly six now, Brennan returned to her office. Removing the lab coat from her back, she threw it onto a nearby chair and rubbed a hand over her face. _It really shouldn't have taken that long to detect that hinge fracture on the vertebrae…_ she thought.

Brennan moved forwards across her office to where her chair sat waiting for her. As she was about to sink into it, she noticed a piece of burgundy cardstock resting between the rows of keys on her keyboard, the back propped up against the computer screen. Loopy script covered the part she looked at, and Brennan made a face as she plucked the cardstock from the computer.

"Now how did I miss this…" she murmured, turning the piece over in her hands. The back held more loopy handwriting, just as unrecognizable as the front side. She flipped it back to the front.

Across the top, the flowing letters spelled out, "I love you for—" Brennan stopped abruptly, the first three words sending a shiver of something through her body. Was it fear? Hope? She didn't know. Curiosity getting the best of her, Brennan kept reading.

"I love you for the way you make me laugh.

I love you for the way your lips pout when you don't understand pop culture

I love you for the way you handle difficult situations

I love you for the way my heart misses a beat every time you walk in the room

I love you for the way your eyes light up when you laugh at me

I love you for your courage

I love you for your honesty

I love you for your beautiful smile

I love you for never leaving my side even when I hurt you

I love you because I could never imagine living a day without you"

Brennan finished reading it and felt a sudden pang of sadness pluck a somber string in her heart. To know someone loved her for all of these things, for all her shortcomings in addition to everything else, gave her an odd sense of longing. Who was this? She needed to know now more than ever, and she quickly flipped the card to the opposite side where more of the unrecognizable writing filled the burgundy card.

"The sun will set,

Golden blue reflected in your eyes.

We'll watch the garden below

And you will know who I am

On the rooftop tonight

As I watch the sun set in your eyes."

Brennan smiled a bit as she scanned the poem again, shaking her head a bit at the riddle-like work. She would finally meet her admirer tonight… sunset on the roof of the Jeffersonian overlooking the botanical gardens. Well, it sounded romantic enough…

The click-clack of heels on linoleum jerked Brennan's attention from the card to the hallway. She sat in baited silence, waiting; Angela had a sensor ingrained into her brain that flashed bright red whenever something remotely interesting happened to Brennan. In fact, Brennan was surprised Angela hadn't shown up yet.

The sounds faded down the hallway and Brennan relaxed. If Angela _had_ come in, there would for sure be many cracks made about it being Booth… Booth.

Any traces of a smile disappeared from her face as she gazed back at the card, the word "love" jumping out at her from the front. This couldn't be Booth. Booth was at his apartment having dinner with Parker. Brennan sighed in despair; all along, she guessed she really _had_ been hoping Booth was the mystery valentine…

Brennan looked out the window and sighed; it was almost sunset. She glanced down at the card and gripped it tighter in her hand. Who on earth could have sent her all of those gifts? Depression was quickly replaced with annoyance, then anger. Who tortured her for two days and kept her up at night with thoughts of who was sending her these things? Whoever it was, Brennan hoped they had prepared themselves for anything; she was known for being unpredictable. They might have thought that she, like most other woman would swoon over such romantic gestures, but not her. She squared her shoulders and walked towards the office door, pausing momentarily to check her appearance in the glass.

Her hair was still in a messy ponytail from when she was poring over the bones with Zach, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. That, however, was the valentine's fault. She could blame him for her somewhat tousled appearance, but Brennan didn't even care that she looked less than acceptable at that moment. It didn't matter anyways; she knew Booth wouldn't be sitting on the roof waiting for her the way she had secretly hoped he would be.

Her office door swung shut behind her as she headed towards the back staircase leading up to the roof. Her heart began to speed up a little bit, and she reflected on whom it could be, and the most painful way to inflict damage upon them for their agonizing puzzle. Her shoes clanged on the metal steps and she reached the access door all too soon.

Her hand reached out for the door handle, the cool metal calming her a bit as her hand touched the knob. She heard the bolt click back as she twisted it, the cool evening breeze seeping through the small crack between door and the jamb. The fresh air calmed her bristled nerves, and Brennan swung the door completely open.

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FINALLY!!!! This was rather difficult to write, but hey, we got it! Please review and hopefully the next chapter will be up sooner than this one was! So sorry about that long wait! I made extra chocolate Booths just for your patience, and I threw in some Thin Mints and Caramel Delight girl scout cookies for good measure… they're the and Lauren, as always!!!!!!!!


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